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Evidence · Car insurance

Every question, every answer, every source

Explore all 183 car-insurance questions and the 728 answers saved on 11 October 2026. Read the original responses and download the tables behind the study’s comparisons, sources, sentiment and factual checks.

questions
183
answers saved, of 732 planned
728
consumer situations
12
named regions
16
AI platforms
4

01

Every question, with its answers

Each question went to the four AI platforms. All were collected with a New Zealand setting. Open a question to read every captured answer in full.

Showing 20 of 183 questions

Show all 183

02

The tables behind the study

Every figure on the study page comes from these tables. They are CSV files, which open in any spreadsheet.

  • Questions

    questions.csv

    One row per question, with its exact saved wording.

    Question ID, source references, question, consumer situation, named regions, question group and collection setting

    183rows

    Download questions (CSV)

  • Answers

    answers.csv

    One row per captured answer, with its full text.

    Answer ID, question ID, platform, collection setting, consumer situation, named regions and full answer

    728rows

    Download answers (CSV)

  • Sources by answer

    sources.csv

    One row per website recorded as a source of an answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, assistant, collection setting, website and publisher type

    4,213rows

    Download sources by answer (CSV)

  • Checks against primary sources

    checks.csv

    One row per stated assertion checked, for one platform.

    Check, question and answer IDs, assistant, exact passage, verdict, primary-source finding, URL and date

    96rows

    Download checks against primary sources (CSV)

  • Consumer recommendation coding

    consumer-recommendation-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed provider role in a consumer-selection answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, provider, role, counted recommendation, exact passage and conditions

    301rows

    Download consumer recommendation coding (CSV)

  • Consumer selection membership

    consumer-selection-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the matched consumer-selection comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, question group and full text; the same twelve questions per platform

    48rows

    Download consumer selection membership (CSV)

  • Ongoing support coding

    support-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed named-provider role in an eligible support answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, provider, role, support-preference decision and exact passage

    49rows

    Download ongoing support coding (CSV)

  • Ongoing support membership

    support-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the actual consumer-support group.

    Answer ID, question ID, consumer, platform, question group and full text; acquisition validation is excluded

    32rows

    Download ongoing support membership (CSV)

  • Regional recommendation coding

    regional-recommendation-coding.csv

    One row per reviewed provider role in a region-named selection answer.

    Answer ID, question ID, named consumer region, platform, provider, recommendation decision and exact passage

    440rows

    Download regional recommendation coding (CSV)

  • Regional selection membership

    regional-selection-membership.csv

    One row per answer in the matched regional comparison.

    Answer ID, question ID, named consumer region, platform and equal-comparison membership; sixteen questions per platform

    64rows

    Download regional selection membership (CSV)

  • Insurer sentiment

    insurer-sentiment.csv

    One row per unique saved claim about an insurer in a selection answer.

    Claim, question and answer IDs, insurer, saved stance, exact passage and original-answer offsets

    1,926rows

    Download insurer sentiment (CSV)

  • Recorded source URLs

    source-urls.csv

    One row per recorded answer, website and URL association.

    Answer ID, question ID, platform, website, URL, source records and presence in the captured answer text

    6,056rows

    Download recorded source urls (CSV)

Use these tables to trace findings back to the original questions and answers. The full text of each answer is also on this page, under its question.

03

Read in full and checked

Some answers were read in detail or checked against official sources. Those appear on the study page, beside the findings they support.

ChatGPT · New Zealand

We live close to the sea and salt spray has damaged our car over time. Would comprehensive car insurance cover that?

In New Zealand, comprehensive car insurance generally won't cover gradual damage caused by salt spray from living near the sea. Salt in the air can slowly corrode your car's paintwork, metal panels, underbody and other components, and insurers typically treat this as gradual deterioration rather than an insured accident.

The important distinction is how the damage happened:

  • Gradual salt corrosion: Usually excluded, even if you have comprehensive cover.
  • Sudden, accidental damage: May be covered, depending on your policy wording and circumstances.
  • Rust or paint damage that has built up over months or years: Generally considered wear and tear, corrosion or lack of maintenance.

Having comprehensive insurance doesn't automatically mean every kind of damage is covered.

This is consistent with the published wording from AMI and NZI, both of which exclude rust, corrosion or gradual deterioration. How Is Wear, Tear And Depreciation CoveredDistinction Motor Vehicle Insurance / Policy wording

What I'd recommend

  1. Check your policy wording for exclusions such as “rust”, “corrosion”, “gradual damage” and “wear and tear”.
  2. Ask your insurer before paying for repairs whether any part of the damage might be covered. Don't assume the whole claim will be declined without having it assessed.
  3. Prevent further damage: Rinse the car regularly with fresh water, including the underbody, and consider a suitable paint protection treatment or professional underbody protection.

For general guidance, the Insurance Council of New Zealand explains common exclusions in its guide to motor vehicle insurance. What Home, Contents & Car Insurance Don't Cover (NZ)

One useful question: Is the damage mainly rust underneath the car, bubbling paint and rust on the bodywork, or corrosion affecting mechanical or electrical parts? That can help clarify what to ask your insurer and which repairs are worth prioritising.

Ask anything

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Check important info.

Captured 11 October 2026

Gemini · New Zealand

We live close to the sea and salt spray has damaged our car over time. Would comprehensive car insurance cover that?

No, comprehensive car insurance does not cover damage caused by salt spray, rust, or corrosion over time.

Insurers classify salt damage and coastal rust as gradual damage, wear and tear, or maintenance issues. Comprehensive policies are designed to cover sudden, accidental, and unforeseen events—such as crashes, storms, fire, or theft—rather than the natural deterioration that occurs from environmental exposure like living close to the sea.

To manage and mitigate coastal wear, regular vehicle maintenance is necessary, such as frequent freshwater washdowns, anti-corrosion treatments, and touch-ups on paint chips before surface rust can take hold.

Ask Gemini

Gemini is AI and can make mistakes.

Captured 11 October 2026

AI Overviews · New Zealand

We live close to the sea and salt spray has damaged our car over time. Would comprehensive car insurance cover that?

AI Overview

No, comprehensive car insurance will not cover damage caused by salt spray over time.

While comprehensive cover is the highest level of vehicle protection you can buy in New Zealand, it is explicitly designed to cover sudden, accidental, and unforeseen events (such as crashes, theft, vandalism, fire, or storm damage).

Salt spray causes gradual damage—specifically rust, corrosion, and paint deterioration. Major New Zealand insurers like AMI Insurance, AA Insurance, and Tower Insurance explicitly list the following in the "What you are not covered for" sections of their policy wordings:

  • Gradual deterioration: Damage that happens slowly over time due to exposure to the elements.

  • Rust and corrosion: Any atmospheric or chemical damage to the bodywork or underbody.

  • Wear and tear: Standard degradation from using or parking a car in a specific environment.

Because car owners living in coastal areas are expected to manage the environmental risks of where they park, fixing this damage will need to be paid out of pocket.

If you are planning to repair the rust or want to prevent future damage, let me know if you would like info on:

  • Standard rust removal and repair costs in NZ

  • The effectiveness of professional underbody protective coatings for coastal vehicles

  • Simple, routine habits to neutralise salt spray at home

Ask anything

Captured 11 October 2026

Google AI Mode · New Zealand

We live close to the sea and salt spray has damaged our car over time. Would comprehensive car insurance cover that?

In New Zealand , standard comprehensive car insurance generally will not cover damage caused by salt spray over time.

Here is why and how it typically works:

  • Gradual damage exclusion: Car insurance is designed for sudden, accidental, and unforeseen events (like a crash, fire, or storm damage). Damage that occurs progressively over time—such as rust, corrosion, general wear and tear, and paint degradation from salt air—is classified as gradual damage and is excluded from standard policies.

  • Maintenance responsibility: Insurers view the prevention of rust and weathering (such as regular washing, treating surface rust, or rust-proofing) as part of routine vehicle ownership and maintenance.

  • Exceptions for sudden events: If a sudden, catastrophic event occurred—for example, an extraordinary coastal storm or tidal surge abruptly flooded your car with saltwater in a single incident—that specific acute event might be assessed under storm or flood damage provisions. However, the slow accumulation of salt spray pitting the paint or rusting the panels over months or years is not covered.

You can review general policy exclusions explained by financial comparison platforms like Canstar New Zealand, or check your specific insurer's Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for exact definitions of gradual damage.

If you'd like, let me know:

  • Which insurance provider you are with
  • Whether the damage is surface rust, paint peeling, or mechanical

I can help check your specific policy wording or suggest ways to mitigate further coastal damage.

Ask anything

Captured 11 October 2026